


Stay

by french__doctor



Category: Orphan Black (TV)
Genre: Angst, Cophine angst, F/F, Smut, cophine - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-23
Updated: 2017-04-23
Packaged: 2018-10-23 00:26:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10708314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/french__doctor/pseuds/french__doctor
Summary: A look into what could have happened if things had gone down a bit differently after that kiss in 3x08. It starts later the same night, when Cosima shows up at Delphine's apartment to confront her, and ends with Cosima, shortly after their last scene outside Bubbles in 3x10. A lot of angst and smut, which is why I feel okay posting it now that we know for sure Delphine is alive. Despite all the pain, I loved her character's development during season 3 and wanted to expand on these particular scenes. (Completed)





	1. Stay, part one.

Weary eyes. Dark circles, concealed with expensive makeup. Perfectly polished nails. Gut-wrenching exhaustion and anguish, hidden behind impressive clothing and a grand posture, carefully painted lips and a convincing, though ever so forced, smile. Steady steps in high heels to fool those around her she was bursting with confidence, power and energy. No trace of it left behind when she was the only one present, stripped of carefully selected clothing and cosmetics. Underneath it all she was certainly not bursting with any kind of positive emotion. She barely felt like a person anymore.

She had lost track of time, staring blankly at herself in the bathroom mirror. Observing the person staring back at her. The dim light, reflecting off the dark tile, covered her skin in an eerie, translucent grey. It made her birthmarks look like the craters on the surface of the Moon. Her hair had almost dried and blonde curls flowed freely over her shoulders, no longer weighed down by the suffocating amount of styling products and heat she used to straighten it every other morning. Her robe had slipped down and exposed her left shoulder, sharper than she was used to seeing it, much like the rest of her figure. Months of surviving on not much more than caffeine and alcohol had taken its toll on her.

_“Gotta love concealer.”_

Truth was, she had never felt this hollow in her entire life. And it showed, as soon as she took her guard down, even for just a fragment of a second. Vulnerable. Anguished. Stressed. Heartbroken. Terrifying, powerful. A dark shadow of the bright-eyed, brilliant, curious and hungry scientist she had once been. Before.

Dr. Delphine Cormier.

Who was she?  
Who was this woman, staring back at her with eyes so empty they might as well have been made of glass? Skin so pale she might as well have been dead?

_“I came back for you.”_

A sharp pain pierced her stomach. She closed her eyes, hard, her fingers clenching her elbows as she stood with her arms crossed over her chest. Tense, in need of comfort. Cosima’s face taunted her. The image of her trembling bottom lip, her small frame appearing even smaller than it actually was in its state of temporary vulnerability. Tears had been rolling down her cheeks. Quiet and stubborn, but very real. Delphine had tasted their saltiness when they kissed. The all too recent memory made her feel nauseous.

Cosima’s scent was still there, not even a shower had been able to wash it away. It was stuck on her. Delphine knew it too well to be able to ignore it. She could still feel her skin against her fingertips. Her breath. Her lips, her warmth. She hated herself for having allowed it to happen, but her hands had acted on their own when she had steered Cosima’s face towards her own. She hadn’t been able to stop herself. And it had taken her all the mental strength she had to resist the urge to continue. To cut the invisible thread which always seemed to be pulling her soul in the clone’s direction, no matter where her mind and body went. It had been beyond difficult to shove it down and push Cosima away, almost impossible to utter those hurt words instead.

_“You should have trusted me.”_

She shivered. The small drops of water left behind on her sloppily towel-dried skin had gone cold. She had no idea of how long she had been standing there, but it had clearly been long enough. She combed through her untamed hair with her fingers, replaced the robe with a long t-shirt and fuzzy cardigan, underwear but no bra, bare feet and legs. The wooden floor felt warm against her soles as she walked out into the livingroom. Why Americans thought it was a good idea to wear shoes indoors was something she would never understand.

Clean floors or not, though, this apartment would never feel and had never felt like home to her. She instinctively wrapped the cardigan tighter around her body, as if she needed to protect herself from her surroundings. It was all too staged – white walls, white furniture, impossibly sterile kitchen appliances, everything stolen straight out of a high-end interior design or modern architecture magazine. Property of DYAD. Just like everything else in her life. Though to be fair, it wasn’t as if she had actually tried. She hadn’t brought a lot of her own things with her when she had finally been allowed to pack her bags and leave Frankfurt. But even living out of a suitcase in Felix’s crazy, cluttered loft had felt more like home. Despite his snarky attitude towards her.

She realized what she was doing right as she felt herself about to slip. Memories were hard to keep at bay after a particularly rough day. It would be ridiculously stupid of her to go there again, like she so often did when she was alone. Every time she allowed herself to go there left her feeling completely drained. Keeping her hair straight and her head focused on work, no matter how hard and frustrating, had kept her going forward. She dealt with the emotions by spitting out her bottled up frustration when people gave her a reason to. And, in all fairness, when they didn’t. Numbed herself with wine and sleeping pills in the evening.

_Cosima._  
_Delphine. Stop it._

The couch was uncomfortable, but walking the extra steps to her bedroom was simply not an option when standing right next to the stiff white leather. She threw a blanket over her legs as she lay down, spotted the orange container of sleeping pills on a pile of papers on the coffee table. She opted for the wine next to it instead, poured it down her throat straight from the bottle. She put it on the floor and wiped her lips almost right away. She was too exhausted to even drink properly. Just needed something to take her mind off things.

Her head fell to the side and her eyes searched for the windows, which were wide enough to cover the entire west wall of the room. At last, something positive to think about. The view of the city from the flat was absolutely amazing. Nothing but compact darkness, trickled with lights from streets and cars, swallowing everything on its way up to the blue line of distant light drawn by the horizon. Toronto seemed to move slower when seen from high above. Delphine could finally release the deep breath she had been holding in all evening. She fell asleep as the lights of the city danced over her closed eyelids.

An unclear number of hours later, the sharp sound of the doorbell harshly yanked her out of her pleasantly dreamless state of unconsciousness. It rang twice. Then came a series of hard, determined knocks.

Delphine almost tripped over her own feet as she jumped off the couch, suddenly wide awake, though still completely disoriented. With her head spinning and her heart hammering inside her chest, she stumbled through the dark with only one chain of thought on repeat inside her mind. Threat. Gun. Desk drawer. She fumbled with papers she should have kept organized, gritting her teeth as her eyes fell briefly on her bare legs. Dying without pants would not exactly be the most dignified way to go.

“Delphine, I know you’re in there. Your stupid car is upfront just open the goddamn door.”

Delphine froze, just as her fingertips found the cold metal they had been searching for. The voice was muffled by the heavy door, but she would recognize it anywhere.

She closed the drawer slowly.  
_Merde. Merde, merde, merde._

“Delphine! Wake up!”  
“Yes, I’m coming…” she finally answered, even though she couldn’t move her feet. Her voice was weak, clearly not loud enough to break through the door. Another knock prompted her to repeat herself. “Yes!”

Delphine hesitantly made her way into the hallway. Her fingers trembled slightly as she undid the security chain. She had to stop and collect herself for a moment before she could bring herself to unlock and open the door. The anger in Cosima’s eyes went right through her chest as soon as she did. Like a bullet, though somehow worse, because it was Cosima. Lively, happy Cosima. Burning with rage under her red coat. Delphine opened her mouth to say something, but Cosima silenced her with a look and shoved her aside, pushed through the door and slammed it shut behind her.

“We need to talk,” Cosima said and dropped her bag on the floor, untied her scarf. Her movements were rapid and clearly agitated, and her usually melodic way of speaking had become so cold, sharp. Delphine stared at her. Her heart was still racing. “What the hell do you think you’re doing, Delphine?”

A jolt of irritation went through Delphine’s nerves. Her shoulders stiffened, the muscles in her jaw tensed. She couldn’t think of a single response simply because the question was so mind-blowingly dumb. She had explained her situation, countless of times. Yet here they were again. Cosima was brilliant. Wonderfully brilliant, the smartest person Delphine had ever met. But sometimes her actions and words were so infuriatingly stupid it made Delphine want to scream. How could she not understand? How was Cosima so blind to the bigger picture, unable to see that Delphine was smothering her own happiness to protect Cosima and her sisters, like she had promised?

“Cosima,” Delphine’s voice was strained. “I think you should leave.”

“No,” Cosima stared at her, shaking her head. The initial calm frustration in her voice transformed and grew in strength when she continued. “No! You know what, Delphine, you don’t get to fucking say that, you don’t get to kiss me like that and then push me away. You don’t get to break up with me without an explanation that makes sense and then pull me back over and over again just to… break me. It’s not fair.“

“Not fair?” Delphine snapped. Her words trembled with rage. “Seriously, Cosima? I have given up everything already, I’ve-“

“Oh come on, we both know that’s bullshit, you have like, everything you could possibly want,” Cosima scoffed. “The only thing you gave up is me and you can’t even do that right, can you?”

Her voice broke somewhere mid-sentence, and after she spat out the last few words, her self-assured posture crumbled as her body recoiled in a fit of coughing. She gasped for air. Delphine’s face fell. Anger and frustration slipped off her like water.

“Cosima?”

Delphine’s mind went blank. She acted on instinct, caught Cosima in her arms and held her tight, just in case she would struggle against it. Cosima’s coat was cold against Delphine’s skin, but her breath warm as it hit Delphine’s chest with every cough. She held onto her until it stopped. Then kept her arms wrapped tightly around her small frame as she caught her breath. Slowly, Cosima’s hands moved in under Delphine’s cardigan, found their way around her waist. Delphine closed her eyes.

“I am only trying to protect you, Cosima, that is what I’m doing. This was the only way things could go, I had no other choice,” she whispered, with her lips against Cosima’s dreads. Her voice was quivering with all those emotions she had been trying so hard to suppress. “Can you not see that this is hard for me too?”

Cosima did not respond. She swallowed hard before she pulled back just a little, her arms still around Delphine’s waist. Her expression seemed softer somehow, as she looked at Delphine over the edge of her glasses. The small crack of air between them was warm, almost electric. The sense of resentment and anger had evidently slipped out the door in a moment when neither one of them had been paying attention. And now there was nothing left except two women, utterly exhausted, looking at each other in a silence full of words neither one dared nor wanted to speak. No walls, no hostility. Delphine put her forehead against Cosima’s. Sought comfort in that place which had always seemed so natural to the two of them. She held Cosima’s face in her palms. Caressed her cheeks with her thumbs, breathed in her presence.

Then all of a sudden Cosima sighed, tilting her head slightly to the side and closing the distance between their lips with a kiss.

Delphine had been the one to initiate, earlier. Cosima the one who had tried to pull away. It was the other way around, now. Though Delphine had no intention of pulling away. Weakness hit her hard the second their lips touched and she instantly knew there was no going back. She kissed Cosima back. Cautiously, at first, then more eagerly. Tasted her as their tongues met between parted lips. Inhaled her scent. Couldn’t resist pulling her closer, pressing herself against her. She could feel their hearts beating at the same speed. Like clockwork. An inevitable rhythm that always seemed to bring them together, in one way or another. Before she knew what she was doing she was drawing the red coat off Cosima’s shoulders. Their lips separated only momentarily just to clash back into each other when it fell to the floor. Cosima’s hands moved to Delphine’s hips. Warm fingers slipped under her shirt, tickled her already alert nerves as they confidently slid up her stomach, then around her back. She exhaled harshly against Cosima’s lips when nails dug into her skin. And to resist was the last thought on her mind when the smaller woman begun to push her backwards, further into the apartment.

It all happened so fast. The thick walls Delphine had so carefully constructed around her heart had begun to crack the moment Cosima had set foot in her office that afternoon. When she had given Delphine that look. Now they were shattering into a million pieces and there was no point in trying to repair the damage. Delphine’s whole body was aching for Cosima. She needed to feel her skin against her own. Needed to taste her, to be touched. To let Cosima in, after pushing her away for so long. This was her final breaking point.

_“Je t’aime.”_

Impatient hands clumsily removed layers of clothing and tossed them aside. Bare skin flushed from anticipation seemed even more colorful exposed against white sheets. Delphine allowed the weight of Cosima’s body to push her down on her back. She was completely under the other scientist’s control and she did not mind at all. She took in every inch of Cosima’s body as she gave in to her touch. They kissed again. Deeper, hungrier. Delphine slid her palms along Cosima’s stomach, cupped her breasts with hands trembling from lust, felt Cosima’s heart beat faster through her chest. Explored every curve of her slender figure with her fingertips. She sucked on Cosima’s bottom lip, allowed herself to become completely intoxicated by the feeling of her tongue softly brushing against her own. Cosima’s thigh pressed in between Delphine’s legs. Then she gently rolled her hips forward against the crotch of her underwear, and the sensation tingled throughout every nerve in Delphine’s body, caused her to whimper against her lips.

_“And I love you too.”_

Delphine’s heart was beating almost painfully fast. Cosima was everywhere. In her memories, all around her. The kisses she scattered over Delphine’s skin left a trail of wet marks as she moved down her body. Every touch sent a tremor down Delphine’s spine, growing in intensity the closer Cosima came to the wetness between her legs. Her breath was strained with anticipation. Cosima’s lips reached her abdomen, nibbling on her sensitive skin, while determined hands slid up her thighs and spread her legs wider apart. She swallowed a deep moan as Cosima parted her lips and flicked her tongue out, licked her through the fabric of her underwear.

“Please…” Delphine whimpered desperately through gritted teeth. The feeling drove her absolutely crazy. She fumbled with her underwear, bucked her hips so Cosima could help pull them off her legs. Cosima granted her wish without hesitation, and Delphine’s back curved in a moan she could no longer contain as Cosima finally buried her head deep between her thighs.

It was unbearable.

Delphine had almost forgotten what this kind of intimacy felt like, had been busy with too many more pressing matters to tend to, to say the least. Now she remembered how completely insufferable being with this woman was, in a very good way. Cosima’s skilled tongue teased her sex, slid through her slick folds, circled the most sensitive part of her in a way that made her thighs quiver. Cosima paused to place a kiss right at the top of Delphine’s labia, her breath coating her entire core with warmth before she flicked her tongue out again. Delphine’s hands clutched the sheets, her hips bucked from the sensation. Stifled moans slipped her throat as Cosima continued to work her swollen clitoris, now at a steady pace. Every muscle in her body was on high alert, tingling with the desire streaming from the depths of her stomach. Pearls of sweat broke through her forehead, glistened against her fair skin as she struggled to breathe, panted heavily, struggled to remain still. She knew she would not be able to keep it together for much longer when Cosima slid her fingers inside her. She immediately aimed for that spot that made Delphine lose her breath entirely. Moved her digits in the same pace as she moved her tongue. Slowly, at first, then slightly faster, harder. Every thrust sent a violent tremor straight through Delphine’s core.

Second after second brought her closer to her breaking point. Her muscles were beginning to clench, almost in spasm. Cosima was merciless. Her fingers made Delphine gasp, her tongue made her writhe powerlessly against the mattress. Her breaths became heavier, her moans unhinged. Their fingers entwined on top of wrinkled sheets just as the few knots that had been holding Delphine together came undone, and her back arched into an intense orgasm.

She was still shaking when every single one of her muscles seemed to collapse at once. Her body went limp, defeated by exertion. She tried and failed to catch her breath, repeatedly, as Cosima crawled on top of her, placing sloppy kisses over her stomach along the way. Her strained breaths tickled Delphine’s flushed skin. She kissed her breasts, nuzzled her neck. But then she exhaled heavily. Something in her throat seemed to break.

“I miss you,” she whispered. The tremor in her voice made Delphine close her eyes, hard.  
“Don’t, don’t…”

Cosima had that look in her eyes again. A look of raw torment and a whirlwind of complex emotions. Delphine refused to see it. Refused to acknowledge the tears burning in her own eyes. It all hurt too much. She needed it to not hurt. She took Cosima’s face in her palms and kissed her cheeks, her forehead, her lips. She kissed her like it was the first and the last time their lips would meet, touched her in the same way. She rolled Cosima over on her back without breaking the kiss. Slid her fingers down her abdomen, in between her legs, determined to make her forget about everything that had brought them to where they were.

Even if the two of them in that moment were only an illusion, she was not prepared to let go of it.  
Not just yet.

The room eventually fell silent, after many long minutes. The only disturbance was the sound of breathing, heavy and out of rhythm, though slowly returning to its normal pace. They lay still next to each other. Tangled in wrinkled sheets, face to face on the same pillow. Flushed, pleasantly drained. So close their noses almost touched. Delphine traced Cosima’s tattoos with her fingertips. Cosima drew patterns around the birthmarks on Delphine’s skin. Neither one said a word for several minutes. They simply observed each other in silence, until Cosima cleared her throat.

“Do you want me to go?”

Cosima’s whisper was barely audible, but the sudden clarity in the undertone of her voice caused nothing but pain. The moment was slipping through their fingers. Delphine had to swallow hard to keep her own voice from shaking.

“Non,” she breathed. “Don’t go.”

Cosima looked at her for a second, as if she were about to say something, but eventually she simply nodded and not a word was said. She caressed Delphine’s cheek, carefully, as though she was afraid she might hurt her. Delphine fought back tears, bit down on her bottom lip. There was nothing left to say. The invisible line drawn through the narrow space between their bodies was still there and they were both painfully aware of it, knew that none of this would matter by sunrise. Things were still the same as they had been before. But they could pretend that this wasn’t their reality, if only for a little while longer. And perhaps somewhere along the road things could change.

“Stay. Just tonight.”

They fell asleep like that, enveloped in each other’s warmth, forehead to forehead. Only a heartbeat apart.  
Cosima was gone in the morning.


	2. Stay, part two.

Anyone who knew Felix Dawkins knew that he was a man of many talents. But his ability to smell guilt was, in the worst way imaginable, one that truly stood out. 

“Well, well. Don’t you look like shit,” he said, as Cosima made use of her entire body weight to pull the heavy door shut behind her. He was standing by the cluttered little counter island in the kitchen of his loft, with a cup of tea in his hand and his lips pursed in a judgmental glare. He eyed Cosima up and down, slowly. “Where you’ve been all night Cos?” 

“Thanks” Cosima shot Felix a dry, unappreciative smile. Then she quickly looked away to avoid his investigating stare and unwanted question. She pretended to struggle with the buttons of her coat, hoping Felix would drop the subject and talk about something else. Or, even better, simply leave her alone. She was certainly not in the mood to be interrogated. Especially not considering there was absolutely no way she could answer any question truthfully. Where had she been, all night? Screwing her ex. Letting her ex screw her right back. Feeling things she did not and probably never would feel with or for her current girlfriend. 

What could she possibly say to justify that? There really was no excuse for any part of it. 

“Don’t pretend like you can’t bloody hear me, Cosima. Where were you?”   
“Geez Felix are you my mum?” Cosima snapped. “I’ve… just out. I slept at Shay’s.” 

“Did you now?” Felix scoffed, practically giddy with dry sarcasm. He put the cup down with a loud clink and crossed his arms over his chest in a way that made Cosima’s jaw clench in discomfort. “That is mighty interesting, because I was a little ‘verklempt’ when you still hadn’t showed this morning so I sent Shay a message, and she said she was at her brother’s, not with you.” 

“…Okay, so many questions. Do you even know what ‘verklempt’ means?”  
“Cosima.”   
“Dude relax, I meant Scott’s, not Shay’s, sorry,” Cosima sighed. “I’m exhausted okay? I was at Shay’s the day before I got the days mixed-“ 

“Oh shush it you, even Helena is better at acting than you are right now,” Felix said sharply. “Let’s see here, shall we?”

He waltzed across the room with his arms still in that obnoxious position, then immediately begun to circle around Cosima. He spun one of her dreadlocks around his finger, pulled on her scarf. Tugged on her t-shirt. Lifted her jaw with his finger to get a better look at her makeup. Lastly, he came to a stop in front of her, looked her up and down swiftly with narrowed eyes. 

“Yesterday’s clothes, yesterday’s makeup too I reckon. An aura of regret and questionable choices. And what else…” he paused to lean in closer. Sniffed Cosima’s shoulder. Cosima bit down on her lip and looked up at the ceiling, exhaling deeply. 

“Felix, I-“   
“…French perfume, and sex.”  
“Felix. Don’t, seriously.”

“Oh bloody hell, Cosima.”


	3. Stay, part three.

_“I know why you did all the things you did.”_

The scent of Delphine’s perfume had lingered on Cosima’s skin and left her wrapped in a haze as she had watched the car disappear down the street. Not the good kind of haze, though. She had been on the edge of her seat for the rest of the evening. She could still feel Delphine’s lips against her own as she finally turned the corner and immediately began running down the street toward the metro station, after a series of quick goodbyes and rushed hugs. The cold air burned in her sore lungs and angst spread like wildfire through her bones.

Something was wrong. So wrong. At first, she hadn’t been able to put her finger on it, as her otherwise magnificent and exceptionally sharp brain always seemed unwilling to cooperate when it came to Delphine. Like a vehicle running out of petrol. But once she realized what it was she had barely been able to participate in conversation. Her mind had begun to spin. Dinner had been a complete blur.

Delphine had kissed her as if she knew it would be the last time. And Cosima had not even reached out to wipe away the tears rolling down her cheeks.

_“Give your sisters all my love.”_

She had to find her. Make things right. Permanently.

On the platform, with three minutes to spare before the train would arrive, Cosima tried calling the first time. No answer. The second attempt was made on the train, the third as she made her way up the stairs to the grand apartment building where Delphine lived. Still no answer. Her heart sunk deeper with every empty dial tone. Her breath was strained once she was finally standing outside the door.

“Delphine?”

Cosima still had a spare key to Delphine’s apartment, for unclear reasons. She kept finding it in her bag but no matter how many times she told herself she would dig it up and give it back, she always seemed to forget. Clinging onto the last piece of evidence of the relationship that had been, perhaps. She still knocked, out of courtesy. Even though she could have easily kicked the door in, at that point. She waited a minute before knocking again. Then she rang the doorbell, despite the late hour. It was almost midnight and the silence in the corridor was absolutely deafening.

“Delphine? It’s Cosima.”

Nothing moved, nothing happened. Maybe she was sleeping. Maybe she was in her office. Or somewhere else entirely. Cosima chewed anxiously on her bottom lip, considered her options for a couple of seconds which felt much longer than several minutes. She quickly decided on the obvious – she didn’t have time for ‘somewhere else entirely’, and she did not have enough energy for a midnight trip to the DYAD. Her trembling fingers found the key almost immediately and she unlocked the door, without bothering to knock again.

She didn’t know what she had expected to find, but the angst burning within her came to some sort of quiet climax as the more obvious silence inside the empty apartment seemed to swallow her whole. The air felt compact, overwhelming. She stood frozen with her back against the closed door for a while. Her breath and pulse slowly calmed to a steadier pace.

“…Delphine?”

She called her name, even though she knew she would not get a reply. Some sort of foolish attempt to convince herself that uncomfortable feeling in her stomach was just a product of her own overactive imagination, and paranoia. She then quickly decided she wouldn’t do it again, when the sound of her own, unsure voice bouncing off the walls sent a shudder down her spine.

Eyes slowly adjusting to the cold darkness, Cosima dared to step further into the apartment. Everything was just as meticulously organized and polished as the last time she had been there. That night. The clothes in the closets were sorted by color and length, no crumbs in the kitchen, bathroom products lined up perfectly along the spotless mirror. As if a well-paid cleaning company had just left the building. Nothing where it wasn’t supposed to be. Except for a cardigan, neatly folded, hanging over the back of one of the white armchairs in the living room.

Delphine would not be coming home that night.

It hit Cosima, as soon as her fingertips touched the fuzzy knit that Felix had once called “hideous”. She felt nothing at all and everything at once. A faint ringing in her ears seemed to occupy her every sense. Without really registering her own movements, she sunk down in the armchair. Wrapped the cardigan around her like a blanket. She tried her best to breathe calmly and then fished her phone out of her pocket. She knew it was a bad idea, but she had to. Partly because it wouldn’t hurt to try once more, partly because she needed to at least hear her voice. A solid piece of evidence Delphine Cormier was a real person, who couldn’t just disappear without a trace.

“The number you have called, is out of service at this moment. Please contact your-“

Shaking fingers ended the call. Cosima stared out the window. Wrapped the cardigan tighter around her body, folded her legs under herself. The night sky was absolutely beautiful outside the windows. She wanted to rip it to shreds, scream at it from the top of her lungs.

_“Give your sisters all my love.”_

Words unspoken and words spoken rang in her ears. It hadn’t been a kiss goodbye. It couldn’t have been. She could simply not think like that. She had to think that everything would be okay. In an hour, in a week. So much had changed between them, recently. A glimmer of hope had sparked, and she knew they had both felt it. This could not be it. Things would work out somehow.

She didn’t move until the first, careful rays of sunlight broke through the windows, early the next morning. She didn’t know how much time had passed when she eventually got up on unsteady feet, left the apartment without locking the door. She took the cardigan with her. Needed something to hold onto.

_Delphine. Please don't leave._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please forgive any grammatical errors you might come across. English is my second language! Anyway, if you made it this far, thank you for reading. ♥


End file.
